One of the first things that come to mind when I think about Blade Runner 2049 is how visually enchanting it can be. Not just the costumes, the sets and the award wining visual effects. The cinematography is what truly steals my attention. Blue and orange, white and grey, these are the colors that fill almost every shot of the movie, as well as the viewer’s eyes. While praise should be given to Denis Villeneuve, as well as the movie’s very talented cast, the one who really stands out is Roger Deakins. His cinematography sets the entire production’s mood and aesthetic. Here in Cinetomia we like to think that movies are much like human bodies. If the brain of this body is Denis Villeneuve, then Roger Deakins surely is the lungs that give life to this visually stunning film.

Movie Information:

Genre:
Science fiction / Neo-noir

Main Cast:
Ryan Gosling
Harrison Ford
Ana de Armas
Sylvia Hoeks
Robin Wright
Jared Leto
Mackenzie Davis

Distributed By:
Warner Bros. Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing

Duration:
2 hours and 43 minutes

Movie Rating:
7.5 / 10

Plot:

Thirty years after the events of the original Blade Runner movie (directed by Ridley Scott), bioengineered beings, also known as replicants, are used as slaves. K is a replicant officer who hunts down and eliminates rogue replicants. During one of his cases he finds the remnants of an old replicant who has shown signs of a caesarean section. With the looming realization that replicants are now able to procreate, the Los Angeles Police Department wants to eliminate the child to maintain order. All the while Niander Wallace, the new replicant manufacturer, sends his enforcer, Luv, to find the child so he can use it to reproduce his product. K, along with his holographic A.I girlfriend Joi, discover that his past may hold the key to discovering both the child and its parents.

Directing and Writing:

Denis Villeneuve is well-known for his visually stunning productions and his suspenseful storytelling. Blade Runner 2049 is no exception to his artistic aesthetic. Even though he brought together a team of extremely talented actors, what really stood out was his choice of working with Roger Deakins to create awe-inspiring cinematography. The sets, costumes, visual effects and shots give a neo-noir feel to this film, showing how the future may be technologically advanced, but is without any soul.

Blade Runner 2049 is one of those films that make you numb while watching it. However, a year after you only remember fragments of how good it is. Everything stands out at the moment, but in the long run it kind of fades away. Having said that, the storytelling is truly inspiring and mind-boggling. Blade Runner was a revolutionary movie for its time, but its sequel does more justice to the overall story. It explores the theme of duty, it sets the question of whether we are born with specific roles in life. And if so, can we ever escape them?

Characters:

Speaking of roles, this movie comes with a plethora of characters. Some of them do not have that much screentime, but are important for the story itself (an example being Carla Juri as Dr. Ana Stelline). Even K (or as Joi named him, Joe), is not that important for the film. His only role is to find the biological child of a replicant. But, we see through him how replicants are not just made for work. They are capable of love, of experience loss and pain. They are truly alive, no different than humans.

Ryan Gosling does a terrific job conveying these emotions. I always felt that most times he is miscast in his roles. But in this instance I would argue that he gives one of his best performances. His and Ana de Armas’ characters have a captivating chemistry. Both of them really stand out. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Jared Leto and Harrison Ford. Sadly, I wouldn’t call their performances all that memorable, despite having small, but crucial, roles in the movie. The overall weight is carried by Gosling, de Armas and Hoeks. But it should be said that all the movie’s character are extremely well-written and even though some of them have limited screen time, their motives and temperament are well-established.

Villeneuve is a visual storyteller. Especially when it comes to his science fiction movies, he truly transports the audience to a different world. Blade Runner 2049 is no exception to this, since we see a glimpse to a technological and barren future, where there is social inequality between replicants and humans. It saddens the audience because despite its tremendous technology, there is no natural beauty left in the world. The trees are gone. The air is polluted. And all that is left are the inheritors of the planet who some have already abandoned it and colonize other worlds.

From a storytelling perspective I find Blade Runner 2049’s theme extremely interesting and thought-invoking. Are we destined to only play roles that are assigned to us? Do we have any free will to escape them? Or are we doomed to live life as it was planned out for us? K and Deckard certainly think otherwise. We are not bound by who made us. Nor are we tied to our assigned roles. We are indeed free to become whatever we want to be. This is the sentiment that both characters, as well as the other rogue replicants share.

Overall, Blade Runner 2049 is a stunning and beautiful film to watch. The only reason that I did not give it a higher rating is because I have seen Villeneuve’s other work. And no matter how impressive Blade Runner 2049 is, I can guarantee you that it is not in any way this director’s best feature.

Written by Demetris Bougiouris